Designed by: George SfetasKarate is an art of self-defence. It utilizes the most effective and logical use of the entire body, bare hands and bare feet. It is an art whose basic forms consist of blocking, striking and kicking. The ultimate objective is not the mastery of the physical art to overcome one's opponents, the ultimate aim of Karate is for the development of one's character through arduous training. It has been proven beyond any doubt that Karate is an effective form of self-defence, its basic forms of punching, kicking and striking can be devastating. Another vitally important aspect of Karate is the form of Kata. This is a group of offensive and defensive pre-arranged techniques in a dance like form. When executed properly, a Kata represents the beauty and self-discipline of the art, before the modern system of sparing was developed. These formal exercises are the major form of Karate training.However, even more important is the learning of self-control, and getting along with your fellow man, without this, Karate is meaningless. Since its beginning, it has been said, "Karate begins with courtesy and ends with courtesy", and thus the ultimate aim is the development of human character through disciplined training.A uniform of light cloth (gi), consisting of a jacket, ankle length pants, and a cloth belt to keep the jacket intact, is worn. The colour of the belt indicates the grade and experience of the wearer.Grades are awarded to indicate the degree of proficiency a person has reached in the art. There are two groups of grades, Kyu grades and Dan grades. Kyu grades are represented by various coloured belts, which may vary from club to club. The following is rather typical; white, red, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, and black. The Dan grades are the black belt grades, they range from 1st Dan to as high as 10th Dan depending on the style one studies. It takes a lifetime of study and contribution to reach the coveted 10th Dan.